Naomh Bríd and Burt opt to scrap last Division 3 fixture to play league final

Although Naomh Bríd and Burt were due to meet this Sunday in essentially a dead rubber All-County League Division 3 clash, a decision has been reached to scrap the fixture and instead play it as the league final.

That’s because both teams last weekend sealed promotion and were due to meet in the league final, following their appointment in the final series of fixtures. They will therefore play on Sunday at a neutral venue, with the venue as yet unconfirmed. 

They say a good beginning is worth half the battle - not so for newly promoted Naomh Bríd who are looking forward to a return to Division 2 football. 

Promotion was the number one target for rookie Naomh Brid’s manager Aidan Murray from nearby Ballyshannon. The Aodh Ruadh club man worked as team coach to the then Naomh Brid manager Michael Gallagher the season before. 

From good GAA stock and the son of club referee and former Aodh Ruadh player Val Murray, Aidan Murray had previously managed his hometown club to a reserve championship success.

“We spoke to the players individually at the start of the year and to a man and promotion was the goal,” said Murray.

The evergreen Declan McCafferty and Lorcan McGrory are members of Murray’s backroom team. 

“The players  were hungry for success, which was good and the older lads felt they were long enough in Division 3 and they wanted to play at the higher level,” Murray added.

Naomh Bríd last won promotion in 2012. The late Dermot ‘Rocky’ Gallagher was the manager but they were relegated again at the end of the season and they have been in Division 3 ever since. 

Rampant Cloughaneely soar past Aodh Ruadh in U-15 Division 2 final

Cloughaneely captain Donnachadh Ó Baoighill scored 2-8 as his side put in a top-class performance to see off Aodh Ruadh

A 4-7 to 2-11 defeat away to Naomh Colmcille in Newtowncunningham was far from the ideal start to the season. Naomh Brid had a chance to get a draw in the final minutes but Callum Gallagher's penalty went over the bar to end a very exciting game with Naomh Brid ruing hitting 18 wides.

“We were very sore coming back up the road after that game and for a good few days afterwards. We really took stock after that game because we also had played in the Ulster pre-season league and had suffered big defeats from Drumsurn and Limavady from Derry. We also lost to Buncrana.

“We took another look at the squad after losing to Naomh Colmcille  number of young lads - T J Gallagher, Callam McGrory, Billy and Craig Harron - out of the reserve team and brought them into the senior team 

The players really knuckled down after the Naomh Colmcille defeat and they bounced back with a 2-8 to 1-5 win over Naomh Muire in Trummon. That was the start of a 10-match winning streak, with the latest of those the 1-14 to 1-9 success at Naomh Padraig at Ture last Saturday.

“That is the day we turned our season around and we haven’t lost a match since,” Murray added. “The first half performance against Naomh Muire was excellent and they played as well in the  first as seen by club supporters for many a long day.” 

A one-point win away to Urris was another standout performance and result for the management.

“That was a big result because we were decimated with injuries for that game. But the players we brought into the team played well and rose to the challenge and it came at a time when the league table was tightening at the top and any slip at all and we could have dropped out of the reckoning. 

The top two collide Naomh Brid and Burt meet for silverware this Sunday.

“We are on 10 straight wins  and Burt take and are unbeaten all season so we will both want to keep the momentum going ahead of the start of the championship,” Murray said.

“Promotion was the target, a league title would be a bonus and we would also like to maintain the winning habit heading into the championship.”